Watermelons

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Watermelons

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Wingy

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland

Posted: Wed Jul 02, 08 10:39 am Post subject: Watermelons
Is anyone growing, or has had experience with growing watermelons? Mine are about 9" long now, several leaves but no signs of flowers yet. Do I grow them like melons, ie nipping out the leader, or do I just leave them to do their own thing? Do the fruits grow on the side shoots or from the main stem? Any advice most gratefully received. Thanks.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6540
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Thu Jul 03, 08 12:51 am Post subject:
we've never pruned any of our melons, we've always just let them do their own thing. They naturally branch out and vine all over the place usually.

Wingy

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 10:42 am Post subject:
Thanks. Is no-one else growing watermelons this year... am I the only one?

Went

Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 6968

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 10:45 am Post subject:
Looks like you could be....... We thought about it but not ready with the land yet - maybe next year.

Just Jane

Joined: 16 Mar 2006
Posts: 140
Location: France

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 11:22 am Post subject:
I have 2 planted outside but they haven't really started to ramble yet. When I've grown them previously I just let them go til they reached the edge of the be & then knipped the end out. Mind you I only got a couple of watermelons per plant but that probably was also due to lack of water once the water butts were dry...

Azura Skye

Joined: 14 Jun 2005
Posts: 2199
Location: Carmarthenshire

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 11:46 am Post subject:
I am! Well, I left it a bit late. I have small yellow melon plants in the polytunnel which are doing ok, but my watermelons are really just seedlings so I'm not holding much hope for them. I'm just going to plant them somewhere hot and hope for the best!

Wingy

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 2:05 pm Post subject:
Oh wonderful! Fellow watermeloners! I've got eight plants and two are really beginning to ramble. I would've thought leaving to two fruits to grow would be about right for each plant, a bit like large pumpkins. What types are you growing? I'm growing Valentina, which is an Italian F1 variety. I love the shape, markings and colour of the leaves.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 2:10 pm Post subject:

Wingy wrote:

Oh wonderful!

Fellow watermeloners!

I've got eight plants and two are really beginning to ramble. I would've thought leaving to two fruits to grow would be about right for each plant, a bit like large pumpkins.

What types are you growing? I'm growing Valentina, which is an Italian F1 variety. I love the shape, markings and colour of the leaves.

Are these under a polytunnel Wingy?

Oh, and the leaves sound fun, any chance of a picture?

Wingy

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 2:27 pm Post subject:

No. These are being grown in one of the larger greenhouses.

I grow all melons, tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, peppers and corn either in the polytunnels or greenhouses. There's no way I could grow any of them outside where I live - I have tried in the past but with dire results. We're very rural and surrounded by open fields on all sides so little protection from the winds.

I'll see what I can do about a photo but later on this evening, once it's cooled off a bit as it's just too hot in the greenhouse at the moment - my lens will probably fog.

Wingy

Joined: 05 Sep 2006
Posts: 270
Location: Fife, Scotland

Posted: Fri Jul 04, 08 11:29 pm Post subject:
They have a lovely bluey tinge - quite nice next to the fresh green of the lettuces and cucumbers. I'm growing them in giant organic growbags this year.

Mary-Jane

Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 18397
Location: The Fishing Strumpet is from Ceredigion in West Wales

Posted: Sat Jul 05, 08 6:41 am Post subject:
Lovely leaves! I've grown little melons in the polytunnel for the last two years quite successfully. They're very sweet - but can be overly watery if you're not careful.

Slim

Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 6540
Location: New England (In the US of A)

Posted: Mon Jul 07, 08 1:34 am Post subject:
anyone ever done moon & stars watermelons? Not the best tasting, but talk about photogenic! https://images.google.com/images?q=moon%20and%20stars%20melon&ie=UTF-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

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